How much haggling room is there??

[maestranba]

I found the haggling to be much better in Oaxaca than in Playa. I never buy silver in Playa. It's way overpriced compared to Oaxaca. The same necklace I paid $40 for in Oaxaca was triple that in Playa.

On the other hand, we've always had good luck haggling for the soccer shirts on 5th. We've never paid more than $15-20 for them and they last forever! So what if there's a crooked seam or it's last year's shirt?

My rule of thumb is when they ask how much you want to pay, offer them half of what you'd want to pay. Then you can go up without feeling like you're paying more than you wanted. So if you would want to pay, say, $10 for something, offer them $5. You'll probably end up paying $10!

[DUNMAC]

My wife fell in love with a bracelet in one of the higher end jewelry stores, they wanted $500 we walked out paying $250. The price they tell you is definitely NOT the price you should pay.
I have had several people on this board tell me the price set is the price you pay. We walked out of several stores to have the salesperson agree to our offer.
Have fun be respectful and pay what YOU want to pay.

[ale]

I do not know where are you from, but when you go to Safeway or any supermarket, do you bargain?, do you do that at your kid's school?.
What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?
I am sure if you go to Hawaii or Miami you would not dare to do that.
Act the same way you would do it in you own country.
Have a good trip

[maestranba]

Originally Posted by ale

What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?

It's not about being cheap. It's a cultural thing, and it's not only done in Mexico. I haggled at the marketplace in Florence, Italy as well as all the market places I've shopped at in Europe.

If there's no price tag on an item, that's an invitation to haggle. Period.

Do you pay sticker price for a CAR???

[ewill]

Originally Posted by ale

I do not know where are you from, but when you go to Safeway or any supermarket, do you bargain?, do you do that at your kid's school?.
What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?
I am sure if you go to Hawaii or Miami you would not dare to do that.
Act the same way you would do it in you own country.
Have a good trip

You don't have to! I have never initiated any haggling, but have told them " no thanks" and began walking out and they lowered the price.
I don't think the people here are trying to rip off the Mexican locals.

[Dan-0]

Originally Posted by ale

I do not know where are you from, but when you go to Safeway or any supermarket, do you bargain?, do you do that at your kid's school?.
What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?
I am sure if you go to Hawaii or Miami you would not dare to do that.
Act the same way you would do it in you own country.
Have a good trip

I think merchants in Playa jack up the prices because they expect customers to haggle. Haggling sounds like a dirty word, but, in reality, it should be a good-natured negotiation of an item's price. Some merchants will even start the haggling process when a customer shows interest in their wares. I have a business here in the U.S. that caters to Hispanic customers, and you better believe they haggle like crazy. But, they also buy, and pay cash, so I don't mind at all.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by maestranba

It's not about being cheap. It's a cultural thing, and it's not only done in Mexico. I haggled at the marketplace in Florence, Italy as well as all the market places I've shopped at in Europe.

If there's no price tag on an item, that's an invitation to haggle. Period.

Do you pay sticker price for a CAR???

exactly!


I got a great deal haggling over a dining room set with hutch here in Canada, I did NOT pay the 'set price' at all. It was not a chain, but a privately owned company furniture company, though.

Haggling is great when both parties walk away satisfied. If they are laughing at me and calling me a sucker to their co-worker because I way overpaid for something, I am not satisfied.

[maestranba]

Originally Posted by Rissask

If they are laughing at me and calling me a sucker to their co-worker because I way overpaid for something, I am not satisfied.

Sometimes I think they're still laughing when I leave even though I feel like I got a great deal!

[avagirl]

Hmm, let's see... I have "negotiated" my car, my house, also at flea markets, furniture stores...I will think of more...
Ps... I live in PA now but I am originally from N.Y. and we negotiate everything..

[sctx]

Originally Posted by Dan-0

I think merchants in Playa jack up the prices because they expect customers to haggle..

also could be due to the many different incoming tourist dollars and the relative economies. As one lady told me in Akumal this May....."Oh, that's the Italian price"........ I'd be wary of negotiating "services" on 5th Ave though.... especially after midnite

[Michael]

Originally Posted by ale

I do not know where are you from, but when you go to Safeway or any supermarket, do you bargain?, do you do that at your kid's school?.
What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?
I am sure if you go to Hawaii or Miami you would not dare to do that.
Act the same way you would do it in you own country.
Have a good trip

You can try to tell Mexican people not to haggle and that there is something wrong with them when they do it. However I would recommend against that. Just because it is customary for Mexicans to haggle it does not mean you have to.

I've haggled in many supermarkets and department stores and that's nothing to do with me being married to a Mexican. I actually learned all my haggling skills in classes (yes they do teach negotiation even in the US). And the teachers don't say only cheap people haggle, but they do say you often have an advantage if the other party in the negotiation is an American.

And in Playa you can find some sales people that will even attempt to teach you to haggle, if you are completely clueless. This is a service usually provided to young people.

I usually close with a reference to my favorite haggling scene from the movies. And so here we go again, no haggling thread is complete without this.



.and I almost forgot.

Originally Posted by ale

do you do that at your kid's school?.

Most definitely yes. I could not afford the full tuition.

[ranchhand1024]

Don't feel guilty for "negotiating". They will never sell something for a loss, so if they accept a price they still make some profit.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by ale

I do not know where are you from, but when you go to Safeway or any supermarket, do you bargain?, do you do that at your kid's school?.
What's wrong with some people that when they go to Mexico they get so cheap?
I am sure if you go to Hawaii or Miami you would not dare to do that.
Act the same way you would do it in you own country.
Have a good trip

i think it's fine if you choose to pay more than you need to pay for something - but the rest of us do not have to follow suit.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by ranchhand1024

Don't feel guilty for "negotiating". They will never sell something for a loss, so if they accept a price they still make some profit.

Exactly........

A number of people who have posted on this forum (over many years of haggling threads) imply that there is a law in Mexico whereby the shop has to accept the bid of Foreigner even if it means taking a loss and going out of business. Believe me, no matter how plausible and reasonable such a law sounds to you. Even if you have that law in your own country or state. There is no such law in Mexico. It is perfectly legal for the shop or any merchant in Mexico not to accept your bid.

If the business accepts your price they expect to make a profit.

[ale]

Sorry if i misunderstood, but i had the idea that she was talking about craftsmanship items, at least when i went to Playa that was mostly what you could buy in the 5ta avenida. I would for sure bargain with Honda or Toyota,
big corporation who cares, but and i seen this before, when you do that with the vendors then they will do the same to the people who make the stuff
in the little town and let me tell you, these people already do not get much from this store's owners. I seen this happen not only in Mexico but in Bolivia and Peru too. My wife is from Mexico and she has friends who buy stuff from artisans in small towns and again these people make coins for what they do.
Do not get me wrong, if i could get a cent from a corporation or a chain of stores i would do that but i think this is different. And again if i misunderstood her question or point i apologies.
thanks
Ale.